Pipe-coupling.



H. MUEL'IER.

PIPE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED SEP'1'.3, 1908.

I Patented Sept. 21, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1v l J 4, w ,1"!

Inventor J-[enTZfQ/[ LL I Witnesses H. MUELLERL PIPE QOUPLING.; I APPLICATION FILED- SEPT. 3, 1908.

Patented Sept, 21, 1909.

v M 7m H 1 v 7 4m ma Mueller Jittorneg Inventor Hen? entrain aunas rarsur anion.

HENRY MUELLER, or nncarnn, rumors, assrenon, no a. EUELLER man'uraouua' rne COMPANY, or nnoa'run, ILLINOIS, a eonnone'rmn or rumors.

rrrncourmrw.

ceases.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY MUELLER, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Decatur, Macon county, State'of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvement-s 1n Pipe-Couplings; and my preferred. manne1 of carrying out the invention member nor the compressible portion of the gasket will be unduly distorted. This object is accomplished, broadlyspeaking, by the employment of two pipe sections or members.

whose extremities or adjacent shoulders are cut off flat, "or may be slightly beveledoutward but are not beveled inward, with which members I employ a gasket consisting of a thin but stiff sustaining ring adapted toenter the bore of one of said 3 members and be frictionally held therein and 7 ways; and l have also illustrated. but'not a softjoint-ring surrounding the sustaining ring and held frictionally but slidablythereon In position where it will be compressed longitudinally when thamembersarea 'proximated' and its material distended re 1- ally' outward. Several embodiments of this idea are illustrated in the accompanying drawingsand set forth in the following specification, both detailing its use as be tween membersof the same. or of different exterior diameters, havin bores ofthe same or of difierentsizes, an connected to or coupled with each other in a variety of claimed in the present case some of the variall parts of this pipe coupling as they apations in the form and structure of the gas ket which may be used with a pipe connection of this type. I

In said drawings, all of which are sectional views, Figure l is the sim lest and might be called the preferred em diment of my invention, and it shows the two members slightly separated from each other and pear immediately before the connection ls Specification of Letters iatent. f PZWQHMBG Sept; 21, 1909- .applieation filed Septemuer 8, 1906. Serial No. 451,544.

.made; Fig). 2 shows the same construction, the parts eing'in the position they occupy when the connection is nearly completed, and

Fig. 2 shows them in the position they oc-' cupy after the connection is made. In like manner Figs. 3 and 3 show other forms of the members, the coupling, and the joint ring, before and Fi s. 4 and 4 after the connection is niade-tlie'bores of the members in the views on Sheet 1 being of the same Figs. 7 and-7 show yet difierent construe-- tionsof parts, inthe ositions they occupy before and Figs. 8 an .tion is'made the bore of theupper member being smaller than that of the lower. Slight SFaf-ter'the connecdifferences appear in the contiguous views of all but Fig. 1 for the purpose of amphfyingthe illustration without multiplying the number of f1 res in the drawings.

Broadly spea ing, the numerals 4 and 7 are used hereinafter to designate the n1e1n-- bers which are to be connected, 6 is the coupling, and 8 is the soft joint-ring and 9 f the sust-a'inin ring which together constitute the ga ct; and these numerals with modificationsare applied to like parts through ut.,,al l.,the figures of the drawings. In Figs. 1,2, and 2 the members 4 and 7 are of equal external diameter and have bores of the same size, and both are cut off flat at their extremities. One means for approizimating the members as here shown consists in threading them externally near the r ends (either both right hand threads, or one w ich may have an angular w'renchhold 63. The form of gasket here shown consists of a joint-ring 8 of lead or some other easily ht and one left) and using a coupling 61'- compressible metal having its exterior made initiall substantially conical and. a cylindrical ore, the latter surroundmga sustaining rmg 9 of brass or some other istifi and thin metal sufficiently" strong to withstand inward ressure which might-crush itand sufiicienty long to that projects beyon ring asshown; The other end of the-susprovide an extension 9 one end of the joint tain'mgriug is set either flush with the cor- .1

responding end of the joint-ring or projects slightly beyond it as shown at 9", but in' any event it is substantiallyfiush therewith and preferablythe smaller endof the joint ring 5 is disposed in that direction. The latter is mounted upon the sustaining rin by any approved means which holds it. frlctionally thereon with sufficient force to-prevent its dislodgment or displacement under ordinary '1'0 handling but yet sufliciently loose to permit .it to slide upon the sustainin ring, and by preference the degree of friction between these parts-is about the same as that between the extension 9 of the sustaining ring and the bore of that member which it enters. As the member 7 is moved in.the direction of the arrow its flat end strikes the outer end of the joint-ring and compresses the latter axially and longitudinally first strippin QO-it slightly from and moving it backward upon the supporting ring as shown at 9 in Fig. 2; and as the parts assume their final position the joint ring may be stripped furv ther from the sustainingring as shown at .259 in Fig. 2, or the sustaining ring may he slid farther into the niemb'er las will be understood, or boththe main idea being that the frictional engagement of thejointrlng upon its sustaining ring and of the extension of the latter within the bore of one of the members is such. as to permit the a proper movement of the parts of the gasket on each other or of the gasket in the members as the latter are approximated. During this operation the flattened ends of the members engagethe' opposite ends.

of the joint-ring 8. and whatever the shape 1 of the latter it will be compressed axially. between them and therefore enlarged 40 radially in size. Meanwhile the sustaining r ngserves the purposes of resisting the expansion of the joint-ring radially inward toward-the axis, and hence it can expand'only in'a' radial 'direction outward toward the coupling whatever the'form of the latter.

It will be noted that the general features of construction and; operation as just described-are substantially the same throughoutthe other views'of the drawings. I In'Figs. 3 to 4? the bores of the members 4 and? are the same, in Figs. 3 and 49' their exterior diameters are the same and an ordinary coupling 61 is employed. and in' Figs.

r 3 and 4 their exterior diameters diflier and 95 a coupling nut 6v is employed which is threaded onto one member and has at its outer end an interior shoulder (50 engaging an exterior flange 5 on the other member.

Asseen in Fi 3, the ends of the members may be cut of! square as at 71, or could be beveled outward as'at 41. The joint-ring may be initially of different cross section fromthat shown in Fig. l, but as illustrated If in Fig. 4 in its final shape it will practically :fill the space around the sustaining ring, be-

tion 7 4, but within said bell at the extremity of the member proper there must be a shoulder which should be flat like the end, 71 of the member-7 er might be beveled outward as shown at 52Fig. 4 I prefer to use a coupling sleeve or nut, however as. in Figs. 5 and 6*, because if the coupling be integral with one of the members it must be rotated to make the connection and its shoulder will therefore ind upon the joint-ring. When the bore 0? one of the members is larger as shown in theseviews, their approximation may distort the j oint-ring'slightly as at 8", Fig. '6, although in its final shape it will fill the space between the extremities.

and be expanded or distended radially outward as at 8". An enlarged bore in one member will also prevent the extension 9% from being frictionally inserted therein by hand, and will permit the joint-ring to be ing ring as at 9 because the friction between its extension and member 4 will probably cause the sustaining ring to slide through the joint-ring in the act of making/ the connection;

In Figs. 7 and S the bore 73 of the member 7 is smaller than that of the member 4, while their exterior diameters differ in Figs. 7 and S and are the same in Figs. 7 and 8 as stripped from the other end of the sustai'n- V member having the smaller bore. In its final shape the joint-ring will fill the space between the extremities and :be expanded or distended radially outward as at 8 in Fig. 8. also prevent the extension 9 from being inserted in this member by hand, although it may yet be fitted to the other member as will be clear. If the wall of the smaller member is thin enough, the material of the joint-ring may be forced over its outer corner slightly as shown at 8, Fig. 8, but I do'not consider this objectionable. Figs. 5 to 8 show joint rings of various cross sections adapted for use in this pipe connection A reduced bore in the member 7 will.

sages? [is adapted to be manually inserted and fric' tionally held within the, bore of one of the members. The drawings show this extension as initially inserted in the lowermost in each of the two, members which would probably be the case where the pipes stand in a verti- I cal position, although elsewhere or even in that case the frictional contact is intended to be such as to hold the gasket against accidental dislodgment even if inserted in the uppermost, so that the hands of the operator are left free to bring the other member and the coupling into position and properly manipulate the parts. It will be seen that this connection increases the facility Of manipulation, is adapted for use with mem" bers of diiferent bores and with or without a flange, and may be employed with couplings of a variety of shapes. 'It is important to note, also, that while the exterior of the joint-ring is preferably tapered or conical, such shape is not at all necessary when the extremities of the coupling members are fiat, because it is the presence of the sustaining ringand the approximation of said extremities which produces the longitudinal compression of the joint-ring and its distention radially outward to or-toward the coupling.

In another application filed by me and bearing Serial Number 151,856 I illustrate.

and describe variations in the form of parts of this pip'e connection whereby the compression of the joint-ring is longitudinaland radially inward instead ofoutward; and in yet another application filed September 10, 190 8, and bearing Serial Number 452,448 1- illustrate and describe variations in the form and structure of a gasket embodying these general ideasbutadapted for use with pipe sections or members having meeting ex- -tremities of a variety of shapes andysizes,

nilliereby each gasket is intended to fit them a What is claimed as new is:

l. A pipe connection comprising a tubular member those bore is cylindric at its end, a second tubular member, external means for approximating them, a yielding joint-ring interposed and adapted to be compressed between their extr niities, and a stiff sustaining ring fitting slidably within the jointring and extending from a point substantiallyfiush with one end of said joint-ring "4:"A'p1pe connectlon comprising a tubular throughout the body thereof and having an 7 extension beyond the other end of said ioint tit ring adapted to be i il' and,

slidably and frictionally held'withinsaid cylindric bore.

:2. A pipe connection comprising .two

tubular members having cylindricbores of differentsizes, external means for'approximating them, a yielding-jointsring interposed and adapted to be compressed between i theirextremities,anda stiff sustaining ring fitting slidably within the joint-ring and having an extension beyond one end thereof fitting frictionally within the'bore of one 1 said members.

3. A pipe connection comprising two tubular members having cylindric bores of diiferent sizes and flat-extremities, external means for approximating them, a yielding j oint-ring interposed and adapted to be compressed between their extremities, and a. stiff sustaining ring fitting within the joint-ring and havingan extension beyond one end only thereof fitting 'frictionally within the bore ofvone "of said members and adapted to slide therein as the members are approximember whose bore is cylindrical at its end, a second member having a smaller bore, means for approximating them, wyielding, joint-ring interposed between their extremif ties, and a stiff sustaining ri n larger than 5 said smaller bore engaging and carrying said joint-ring and having a longitudinal extension adapted to be manually inserted and slidably and frictionally held within said cylindric bore.

5. A pipe connection comprising a -tubular member whose bore is cylindrical at its end,

a second member having a smaller bore,

means for approximating them, a yielding joint-ring interposed between their extremi ties and a stiff sustaining ring larger than sai smaller bore, fitting slidably within said joint-ring and having a longitudinal extension adapted to be manually inserted and slidably held within said cylindric bore.

6. A pipe connection comprising an externally threaded member having a flat extremity, a second member having an internally threaded integral bell end and within it a flat shoulder, a yielding joint-ring interposed and adapted to be compressed between said flat faces as the threads engage, and a stifi sustaining ring fitting within the jointring and preventing its collapse under pressure and having an extension beyond one end thereof fitting frictionally and slidably within the bore of one of said members.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my signature, this 22nd day of August, A. D.-1908.'

, HENRY MUELLER.

E. BROWN, 7 JOHN L-WADDELL. 

